


The Sharks Will Come

by NamelesslyNightlock



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alliances, Alternate Universe - Human, Attraction, Betrayal, Dark Loki (Marvel), Dark Tony Stark, Desire, Enemies to Lovers, Evil Odin (Marvel), Evil Plans, Frostiron Bingo Round 1, Human Loki (Marvel), Iron Man 2, Loki (Marvel) Does What He Wants, M/M, Not Iron Man 2 Compliant, Revenge, Role Reversal, Tony Stark Does What He Wants, Tony Stark as Ivan Vanko, Villain Tony Stark, Warning: Loki (Marvel)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-10
Updated: 2020-05-10
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:33:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24107551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NamelesslyNightlock/pseuds/NamelesslyNightlock
Summary: Tony’s lived a life of hell ever since Odin Jarlson defamed Howard Stark and stole his work. But now, it’s time for Tony to take his revenge.
Relationships: Loki/Tony Stark
Comments: 26
Kudos: 215





	The Sharks Will Come

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks **Rabentochter** for helping with the summary and tags ❤︎  
>   
> For my FI Bingo,  
>  **Square I2** — _Character: Ivan Vanko._

Tony’s every breath felt like it was burning in his throat, every heartbeat loud enough to hear. The reactor he had painfully attached to his chest by means that were probably not good for his health felt heavy, the metal cold and hot all at the same time. There was a bead of sweat running down his brow, but he didn’t dare wipe it away– he didn’t want to draw any more attention to himself than was necessary.

It had been a long, hard slog to get to this moment, a fucking _long_ life hell bent on revenge. There was one thought that had guided his every decision, one _goal_ that had pushed him through the hard times. The image of _one fucking person_ , living the life that _he_ should have had.

He’d spent literal years watching Thor Jarlson reap the benefits of his father’s treachery, eying tabloids and watching news reports of America’s ‘Golden Goose’. And the only reason why Thor was the face of Asgard Industries, the only reason why he was standing at the front of all the newscasts and getting all the girls and rolling in money was because his father, Odin fucking Jarlson, had stolen Howard Stark’s research and had him arrested for a crime he _didn’t commit_. 

And Tony knew that his father had hardly been a saint, but he never would have falsified his patents. He was _genius_ , he didn’t need to fake a thing– and he was far too arrogant in his own abilities to even need to consider the possibility. He had served his country well, he’d built himself up from nothing and he’d created designs that could have changed the world—

Designs which _had_ changed the world, only they had been attributed to Odin, and to Asgard Industries.

It was interesting, actually, that of the team of three scientists who had been working together on the famed Arc Reactor Project, both Howard Stark _and_ Laufey Nálson had befallen hardships which meant that they could not continue, and only Odin received the credit.

Howard had been acquitted, but… he hadn’t fared well in prison, and he died within days of his release. That left his wife and his eight-year-old son in a lurch. Maria wasn’t born in America, and without Howard to support her she was forced to return to her home country of Italy. There, she and Tony had lived in poverty, and she had worked herself to the bone to put Tony through school. She’d grown sick, and Tony had spent the past several decades caring for her. Then she had passed away, and Tony was suddenly left with nothing holding his world together—

Nothing, but his hatred for Odin Jarlson, and his desire to get retribution for everything that had been done. Not just to him and his father, but to his _mother_ as well. Unfortunately, Odin had died in a car accident some years before– which left Tony to target his ire on someone else. Someone who, in Tony’s eyes, was equally deserving.

And _finally_ , after years of watching Thor Jarlson in the tabloids, _months_ of plotting, of waiting, of _inventing—_

Finally, Tony was _here_.

The Asgard Expo was an event that had been a long time in the making, hyped to the max. And on opening night, Thor Jarlson himself would be conducting a presentation, a flashy show to start off the homage to the capitalistic militarism which had powered Asgard Industries’ rise through the economy.

And it really had taken a lot for Tony to get this far. He’d needed a false passport to get into the country– though he was less worried about the TSA trying to stop Anthony Stark from entering America as he was about the identity requirement for purchasing a ticket for the Expo’s opening night. It had taken most of what was left of his savings, even though he’d acquired rather a lot through less than legal means– since he had spared no expense on the technology on the arc reactor in his chest. The _miniaturised arc reactor_ , thank you very much, something which none of the Jarlsons had ever even _hoped_ to create. He’d just managed to get it past the metal detectors on the way in, and it was going to be the finest attraction at the Expo.

With just a thought, Tony would have nanobots creeping over his whole body, engulfing him in his suit and giving him the ultimate tool to bring Thor and Asgard Industries down on their knees, doing to the Jarlsons just what they had done to the Starks.

The anticipation was building in him, the crowds pressing against him barely passing notice as he stared up at the stage, waiting for the lights to dim and the noise to rise, for Thor to make his grand entrance.

Tony was on the edge of the audience, close to the right hand corner of the stage. It would be easy to duck toward the side the moment Thor entered, to don his suit and leap into the air without risk of harming anyone else.

Then, just as he knew that they would– the bright lights began to lower, the music pulsed, the crowd went quiet for half a moment before _surging_ with energy—

“May we present, the man, the legend– Thor _Jarlson!”_

Tony’s heart was pounding as he started to make his move—

And then someone grabbed his shoulders and _yanked_ him off to the side, through a door that Tony hadn’t even noticed was ajar and then—

He was slammed up against a wall, all in the space of a couple of seconds.

Tony could have donned his suit– he could have done as planned, he could have called on the nanotech and used the armour to blast free. But, that suit was for _Thor_. He didn’t want to show his hand now, when the moment he had been waiting for had just been torn form his grasp. Because even though the door had closed shut, Tony could still hear the roar of the crowd, and he knew that Thor must have made his entrance. Yeah, the moment was gone.

That wasn’t the end, though, Tony could still pick another– which meant he could focus on this fucking bastard. So instead of trying to struggle he just glared at the man who had grabbed him, the man who was still holding him pressed against the wall with hands against Tony’s shoulders—

And, shit, but when Tony finally got a good look at him his eyes widened– because the man bore a face that Tony would have recognised in an instant. This was Loki Jarlson, Thor’s younger brother who played a more junior role in the company than Thor’s CEO position. He usually stayed in the shadows, and Tony knew very little about him save his face even though Tony had spent a good portion of his life following the Jarlsons.

And _then—_

“Anthony Stark,” Jarlson hissed, his green eyes blazing brightly with something that almost looked more like amusement than anger. That was… _interesting,_ even if the fact that Loki knew his name was a little unsettling– and his next words were even more so. “Don’t tell me your plan was to attack Thor in the middle of the Expo.”

Tony let his lips pull into a wolfish smile, baring his teeth. “You wouldn’t have been able to stop me,” he said.

“It seems as if I already have.”

“No,” Tony countered. “Trust me. I _let_ you drag me in here.”

Jarlson smirked, as if that was something he had been _hoping_ for. And really, Tony should be pushing him away, but… everything about this, about Loki, was just drawing him in. He never had been able to resist a rush– a rush which only increased with Jarlson’s next words.

“It is not the effectiveness of your plan that I question,” Loki said, his hands shifting so that they were no longer pressing into Tony’s shoulders, but rather sliding up the wall so that they were either side of Tony’s head. “I would merely point out that there are far more… ah, _satisfying_ measures that you could have taken.”

“Satisfying, huh?” Tony asked– and when he wet his lips with his tongue, he did not miss the way that Jarlson’s gaze flickered down for a moment. Interesting, indeed.

“Oh, yes,” Jarlson replied. “Why attack him in front of everyone, take his life and lose your own public image when you could tear him apart from the inside, when you could rip him from his throne and take that place yourself– or perhaps…” He leaned down slightly. “Perhaps you could hand it to someone more deserving.”

 _Ah,_ Tony thought, a dark understanding curling through him and connecting the pieces. _There it is._

“My, Mr Jarlson,” Tony said, tilting his head. “It almost seems as if you are giving me _advice_ on how to take down your own brother.”

“My real name is Loki _Nálson,”_ Loki replied, backing away a fraction. “And Thor is _not_ my brother.”

“Nálson?” Tony echoed, his brows rising. “Then you’re _Laufey’s_ son—”

“You see?” Loki said, his smile turning lethal. “I was wronged just as much as you.”

And despite the fact that this conversation just grew about a _thousand_ times more interesting than even before, Tony couldn’t help but snort. “Oh yeah? Your mamma worked herself to death too, did she? Nah, you were raised as a _prince—”_

“Taken as a babe because my true father was willing to exchange me so he would not suffer as _your_ father did, and because Odin saw me as something to be _used?_ Living forever in the shadows, my mind and ideas powering Asgard Industries while _Thor_ gets all the glory, war mongering and using my creations as tools of death? Oh yes, I was certainly raised as a _prince,”_ Loki hissed. But then he lost some of his edge as he continued. “Trust me, Anthony Stark. I wish for Thor to receive his comeuppance the same as you.”

“Then why _didn’t_ you let me attack him tonight?” Tony asked. “I would have done the job and you wouldn’t have needed to get your hands dirty—”

“Because if my research is to be believed, then your mind is far sharper than anyone else that I have met,” Loki whispered– and then, before Tony could stop him, one of his hands came down to rest upon Tony’s chest, right over the arc reactor. “You didn’t truly believe that security simply let this through, did you?” he asked.

Tony frowned, but before he could reply—

Loki tugged at the buttons of Tony’s especially thick shirt, and tugged it open so that the reactor was visible, blue light peeking through the material. “Impressive,” he breathed.

Tony batted his hand away, and Loki just smirked.

“If you’re not going to report me, can you at least let me go?” Tony hissed, tilting up his chin.

Loki hummed in the back of his throat, and he leaned down a little further once again, so that Tony could see every detail in the green of his eyes. “I think not,” he whispered. “I think I might hold on to you for a while. Perhaps we should take this somewhere more private?”

Tony’s lips parted, and then Loki shifted his hips forward, bending down so that his breath brushed over the shell of Tony’s ear as he said—

“To discuss our future partnership.” Then, he stepped back slightly, the smirk curling at his lips looking something _wicked_. “Of course, only if that is something you desire.”

And, okay, so _maybe_ Tony was feeling a little dazed. Could you blame him? But– he was more than used to sketchy deals, and he could still make a rational decision. The fact that Loki had moved back helped with that as well, even if Tony’s initial interest in the proposal was more than obvious from the sudden tightness in his jeans.

But… from a slightly more logical standpoint—

What did he have to lose? If Loki played him, then Tony could always just go back to his original idea. And really… the benefits far outweighed the costs.

Because as a Jarlson – in name, at least – Loki would have access to all of the systems within Asgard Industries. Working with him and using Loki’s resources, Tony really would be able to get the revenge he desired– and _yes_ , in a truly more satisfying way. Working together they could utterly _destroy_ Thor, tearing him from his empire and maybe… taking his place.

And so it was only a few moments before Tony came to his conclusion, and he met Loki’s expectant gaze.

“I would love to discuss working with you,” Tony said– not foolish enough to promise anything more until they were able to hammer out the finer details. And with the way that Loki was still looking at him, and the way that Loki’s eyes darkened as Tony pushed away from the wall to slide his hands around Loki’s hips… Tony hoped would not be for some time. “Shall we shake on it to seal the deal?” Tony asked, tilting his chin so that his lips teased feather-light over the line of Loki’s jaw.

“Oh,” Loki smirked, one hand already sliding inside Tony’s already open shirt. “I believe I can think of something better.”

And when their lips crashed together in a deep, toe-curling kiss, Tony knew beyond doubt that even if this partnership blew up in flames, he would relish the brightness of the blaze.


End file.
